Črnomelj

Črnomelj is situated on the bend of the Lahinja River below the Gorjanci Mountains, surrounded by two nature parks. This, the largest town in Bela Krajina, is home to around 5,500 people and is full of inspiring stories demonstrating the perseverance as well as ups and downs of the well-hearted people living here for the past three thousand years.

Črnomelj through time

The first written account of Črnomelj dates back to 1228, but, according to archaeological finds, the oldest settlement was established already in the Late Bronze Age (13th to 8th century BCE). Due to its strategic position, the inhabitants often faced the destruction of everything they had created through their perseverance and tenacity. Probably the first time the settlement was destroyed was during the Roman conquests under Emperor Octavius Augustus (63–14 BCE). After the destruction, a new settlement was founded on the opposite bank of the river. The settlement was consequently moved back to the other bank of the river in Late Antiquity (3rd to 6th century) and walled. The Črnomelj of Late Antiquity was one of the more important settlements in this part of the western Balkans, which formed a corridor of interregional trade. In the mid-4th century, the first church was built here. During the raids of the Avars and Slavs, the settlement was once again violently destroyed, probably sometime between the years 580 and 620. And it was not until the 9th and 11th centuries that a new Slavic settlement was rebuilt on the remains of the antiquity settlement. In 1228, the first parish in Bela Krajina was founded in Črnomelj, which is the first written account of the town’s name. In the 14th century, the town encircled by the castle’s walls flourished into the commercial and administrative centre of the region. The walled town defended itself against the Turks in 1408; however, someone did occupy the town: the Protestant preachers spread their new religion here in the second half of the 16th century and established a Protestant church. As in any medieval town, disastrous fires raged through the otherwise peaceful Črnomelj in 1586 and 1744. In the 19th century, Črnomelj started developing into a regional centre. A reading society was founded in 1868, a fire brigade in 1874, and a new town school in 1890. But the turning point in modernisation was the railway, which reached Črnomelj in 1914, connecting it with the rest of Slovenia. During World War II, Črnomelj was occupied by Italy and remained under Italian rule until its capitulation. After the capitulation, Črnomelj became the centre of the liberated Slovene territory, where the foundations of the Slovenian state were formed. In the post-war period, Črnomelj developed into the cultural, economic and administrative heart of Bela Krajina, proud to tell the remarkable stories of its rich history, which inspire new projects incorporating tradition and love for this little piece of Slovenia.

Resource: dr. Weiss, Janez, historian, Mesto Črnomelj skozi čas.
Available at: https://www.crnomelj.si/sl/o-obcini/zgodovina/